In the spring of 1997 Apple released a $7,499 computer produced in 12,000 limited copies and designed by Jonathan Ive. This computer, the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, was in fact the first “big project” for Ive at Apple, but its sales didn’t go very well. Widely regarded by true Apple aficionados as a unique piece of Apple history that can also run Mac OS 9 (initially developed with System 7 in mind), this Macintosh model was built by Ive to “have a very small footprint” on the desktop and be easy to “move around”. Many see it as the father of the popular iMac line that was introduced a year later, and to good reason: the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh provided a better way to manage and install cables, had a standalone keyboard and, overall, was the first example of “all-in-one” design.
A never-used Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh has surfaced on eBay, and it’s currently bidding at $1,025.00. The box was opened for inspection, but the computer was never used and the packaging parts are still sealed. From the description of the item:
The TAM comes in one large box, with four smaller boxes inside consisting of the accessory box, keyboard, system and subwoofer. The accessory box was opened only to inspect the condition of the batteries out of concern that the corrosion of them over time could have damaged other components. The batteries did in fact expand but did not leak, causing no damage to any of the other accessories. The accessories themselves are all new, otherwise untouched, including the thick users manual which is still shrink-wrapped, and a special TAM pen and pencil set which come in a special Apple embossed leather case. The system and subwoofer boxes remain sealed, and therefore are to be in perfect condition, but because testing was not performed this system is being sold in as-is condition. Servicing of TAM’s is no longer available directly from Apple, but may be available thru an independent authorized service center.
The “TAM” was only released in the US, Japan, France, Germany, and UK – this is a great chance to get your hands on it if you’ve got money to spend (the auction will likely go up very soon) and you want to add a piece of Apple’s Macintosh history to your collection. Check out a video of Jony Ive talking about the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh below, courtesy of Electronista.
